Some quick thoughts on the 2012 schedule

— Note the Week 1 bye. It was previously announced that Sounders FC would open the season at home on March 10. Scratch that. Seattle’s first league game won’t be until March 17, a home game against Toronto FC at CenturyLink Field. That assist from the league should benefit the Sounders in their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal clash against Santos Laguna (March 7 at home, March 14 on the road). It also prevents them from having to play four games in 11 days. Seattle had kicked off the past three MLS seasons with stand-alone home openers.

— Cascadia imbalance. Yes, you have read the schedule correctly: Seattle will go on the road to Portland and Vancouver TWICE in 2012 and host each of its rivals ONCE. What this means for the Cascadia Cup is not known yet. It’s a fan-sponsored competition with a format that has changed several times over the years, so it’ll be up to the supporters to determine what’s fair. Remember that the schedule is reversed in 2013 and the Sounders will then host four Cascadia games and travel to two.

— No trips east after July 15. This is something that stood out to me. A July 15th game in New York marks the team’s last on the East Coast (not counting potential Open Cup or playoff games). The Sounders schedule could be busy again in the summer and fall with USOC and CCL games, so the less travel the better. According to the team website, Seattle will log an estimated 41,220 travel miles in 2012, which is about 9,000 miles less than in 2011.

— 12 games on national television. As expected, the Sounders are a big draw on the national scene. As a result, 12 of their 34 regular-season games will be broadcast nationally. Six will be on the NBC Sports Network, covered by our old friend Arlo White. One of those, a Sept. 15 clash at Portland, will be on NBC proper. Six other games will be on the ESPN family of networks, including all three October matches.

— Games on FIFA dates. According to an MLS news release, the league initially didn’t schedule any games on international FIFA dates. Some teams asked to have games rescheduled during those windows, so a select few games could be affected by international call-ups.

— Longest season ever. 267 days. That’s how long the season will span this season, starting March 10 and ending with the MLS Cup on Dec. 1, which will be hosted by the higher seed. With Sounders FC kicking off its CCL quarterfinal on March 7, the season could presumably be 270 days.